Summer Kids' Ministry | Highland Park
2021-06-27 14:30 - 17:00 (America/New_York) | PA
Throughout summer, we will explore the theme of Sanctuary—God is With Us Always during monthly mini-sessions of Vacation Church School.
On Sunday, June 27, 2:30–5 pm, families with kids in preschool through grade 5 (completed) are invited to join us in Highland Park for worship, recreation, crafts, and prayer as we explore God’s promises in the beautiful prayer of Psalm 23. Together, we will examine how God’s promises come to life using images of things found in nature: sheep, green pastures, water, and shadows. Through fun and fellowship, we will remember the good news that God is with us always, wherever we are!
Notes: Pre-registration is required. Kids will remain with their parent/caregiver throughout the event, and COVID protocols will be in place.

Taizé Prayer Service
2021-06-30 19:00 - 20:00, 2021-07-07 19:00 - 20:00, 2021-07-14 19:00 - 20:00, 2021-07-21 19:00 - 20:00, 2021-07-28 19:00 - 20:00, 2021-08-04 19:00 - 20:00, 2021-08-11 19:00 - 20:00, 2021-08-18 19:00 - 20:00 (America/Halifax) and 3 more dates | ELPC – Chapel, 116 South Highland Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15206, United States
ELPC offers evening prayers with chants from Taizé every Wednesday, 7 pm, in the Chapel. The hour-long service includes sung prayers, beautiful music, a time of silence, spoken and silent prayers, and opportunities for individual prayer and anointing. For more information, view our Taizé page.
Download this week’s bulletin.

About ELPC’s Taizé Prayer Service
Our Taizé prayer service is based on a style of worship developed at the Taizé community in France founded in the 1940s by the late Brother Roger. Originally a refuge during the war, Taizé has developed into an ecumenical prayer center for visitors from all over the world. Today, the Taizé community is made up of over a hundred resident brothers, both Catholics and from various Protestant backgrounds/traditions. Taizé wants to be a sign of reconciliation between divided Christians and between separated peoples.

Youth Volunteer Day at Garfield Community Farm
2021-07-01 17:30 - 20:30 (America/New_York) | Garfield Community Farm, Corner of Wicklow and Cornwall Streets, Pittsburgh, PA, 15224, United States
Youth in grades 6–12 are invited to join us for some volunteer work at Garfield Community Farm. When our work is done, we’ll walk to the Milkshake Factory for a tasty treat. Youth may be picked up from ELPC.

Silent Walk on the Butler-Freeport Community Trail
2021-07-10 09:00 - 11:00 (America/New_York) | PA
The Spiritual Life Committee invites you to the Butler-Freeport Community Trail for a Silent Walk! We will gather at the Monroe Trailhead at the Babcock Nature Preserve, Sarver, 16055. Join us as we walk in silence along the path at our own pace, stop, linger along the stream, sit, read, be in nature in silence with God and one another. We will regather back at the trailhead to share reflections and observations at 11:30 am.
RSVP to Norma Meyer by Friday, July 9. Learn more at ButlerFreeportTrail.org.

Letter-Writing Session
2021-07-11 11:00 - 12:00, 2021-07-18 11:00 - 12:00 (America/New_York) | ELPC – Fellowship Room, 116 South Highland Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15206, United States
The ELPC Justice Committee invites you to participate in two justice-related, letter-writing opportunities following our Summer worship service. Our topics are:

Sunday, July 11 | PA HB 999: Repeal of the Death Penalty
Sunday, July 18 | PA HB 279: Allow Undocumented PA Residents to secure a Driver’s License

Download a sample letter, and read PC(USA)’s statement on capital punishment.
Join us in the Fellowship Room or on Zoom. For more information, please contact Vivienne Selia.

Click here to join the session via Zoom. Enter meeting ID 834 2558 5198 and passcode [REDACTED] when prompted.

Middle School Mission Overnight
2021-07-11 19:00 - 2021-07-12 18:30 (America/New_York) | PA
Youth who have completed 6th -8th grade will be sleeping in tents in the garth, volunteering in our neighborhood, and playing outdoor games (think water balloons). There will be an informational meeting on Tuesday, June 15 @7pm via zoom. Please contact Sara Hackett for the zoom information or with questions.

Environmental Book Club | Farming While Black
2021-07-12 19:00 - 20:00 (America/New_York) | Garfield Community Farm, Corner of Wicklow and Cornwall Streets, Pittsburgh, PA, 15224, United States
The Environmental Team of the Justice Committee continues their study and activities around nature, regeneration, interdependence, gardening, and farming. We invite you to read Leah Penniman’s book, Farming While Black: Soul Fire Farm’s Practical Guide to Liberation on the Land. Our discussion will take place on Monday, July 12, 7 pm, at Garfield Community Farm (509 Wicklow Street, 15224), or via Zoom if it rains.
In 1920, 14% of all land-owning U.S. farmers were Black. Today less than 2% of farms are controlled by Black people—a loss of over 14 million acres and the result of discrimination and dispossession. While farm management is among the whitest of professions, farm labor is predominantly brown and exploited—and people of color disproportionately live in “food apartheid” neighborhoods and suffer from diet-related illness. The system is built on stolen land and stolen labor.
Throughout the chapters, Penniman uplifts the wisdom of the African diasporic farmers and activists whose work informs the techniques described—from whole farm planning, soil fertility, seed selection, and agroecology, to using whole foods in culturally appropriate recipes, sharing stories of ancestors, and tools for healing from the trauma associated with slavery and economic exploitation on the land. Woven throughout the book is the story of Soul Fire Farm—a national leader in the food justice movement.
For more information, or to tell us you are attending, contact Nancy Heastings.

If it’s raining, the discussion will take place via Zoom. Click the button below to join, or call in by dialing 646 558 8656 and entering meeting ID 847 2282 6337 and passcode [REDACTED] when prompted.
Join Book Discussion

PW Summer Gathering
2021-07-20 12:00 - 13:00 (America/New_York) | ELPC – Online, 116 South Highland Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15206, United States
Please join us on Zoom as we explore “Women in the Church, Then and Now.”
Lyndsay Hardin Freeman’s book, Bible Women, states that there are 93 women who speak in the Bible, 49 of whom are named. We will focus on both women in the New Testament and women leaders in the church since then. Be ready to name a New Testament woman and a post-biblical woman in the church who you admire.
All women are invited to join us. We look forward to “seeing” you!
To participate, please contact PW.ELPC@gmail.com.

LGBTQ Ministry Spiritual Gathering In-Person and on Zoom
2021-07-25 11:30 - 13:30 (America/New_York) | East Liberty Presbyterian Church, 116 S. Highland Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15206, United States
You are invited to share food and fellowship at our LGBTQ Ministry’s next Spiritual Gathering. Allies and LGBTQIA+ folks alike are welcome. We will meet in person and may have a Zoom component.
Contact Wil Forrest at 412.441.3800 X118 or Wil@coh.net to learn more, to RSVP, and/or to get the Zoom info to participate.
God created you. God loves you. Be yourself.

PW Gathering | Rejoice in Hope
2021-08-05 16:00 - 18:00 (America/New_York) | PA
Join Presbyterian Women from Maine to Hawaii for an online gathering. Our theme, “Rejoice in Hope,” is based on Romans 12:12–13.
The Rev. Dr. Diane Moffett will offer a message of hope, and Irene Pak Lee, associate pastor at Stone Church in Willow Glen, Pennsylvania, will deliver the keynote address. In addition, Bible study authors, present and future, will introduce their studies.
Come prepared to be renewed and inspired. The event will be livestreamed on Presbyterian Women’s Facebook page, and an in-person watch party will be held at ELPC. For more info, email PW.ELPC@gmail.com.

Café Justo on Sale
2021-08-08 11:00 - 12:00 (America/New_York) | PA
We’re excited to announce that Café Justo will resume sales on the second Sunday of each month. Stop by the coffee cart in the Narthex following worship. If you are unable to pick up your coffee in person, please contact Ryan Booher at rabooherco@gmail.com to make alternate arrangements.
Coffee is $10 per bag for Robusta, Arabica, 50/50 Arabica/Robusta blend, Decaf Arabica. All varieties are typically available in ground and whole bean.
Click here to read more about Café Justo.

High School Mission Retreat
2021-08-10 - 2021-08-13 | PA
Youth who have completed 8th-12th grade are invited to go to Crestfield Camp and Conference Center for our ELPC mission retreat. A combination of service projects around the camp, worship and Bible study, and a lot of group fun after being apart for so long. We will be using Crestfield’s space but planning our own schedule, meals, and worship so youth will be big part of planning what we do.
Fill out the registration form below or contact Sara Hackett for the zoom link.

In Pursuit of Silence | Film Viewing and Conversation
2021-08-14 19:00 - 21:00 (America/New_York) | PA
In Pursuit of Silence is a documentary that meditatively explores our relationship with silence, sound, and the impact of noise on our lives. Beginning with an ode to John Cage’s ground-breaking composition, 4’33”, the film takes us on an immersive cinematic journey around the globe—from a traditional tea ceremony in Kyoto, to the streets of the loudest city on the planet, Mumbai, during the wild festival season—and inspires us to experience silence and celebrate the wonders of our world.
RSVP to Norma Meyer by Friday, Aug. 13.

LGBTQ Ministry Spiritual Gathering
2021-08-15 11:30 - 13:30 (America/New_York) | East Liberty Presbyterian Church, 116 S. Highland Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15206, United States
You are invited to the next Spiritual Gathering of ELPC’s LGBTQ Ministry to share food and fellowship at the church. Allies and LGBTQIA+ folks alike are welcome.
Contact Wil Forrest at 412.441.3800 X118 or Wil@coh.net to learn more, to RSVP, and/or to get the Zoom info to participate.
God created you. God loves you. Be yourself.

Picklesburgh Party
2021-08-20 18:30 - 20:30 (America/New_York) | PA
Picklesburgh—voted America’s #1 Best Specialty Food Festival in America—is back! We will meet at a specified location downtown and then walk over to the festivities. We will walk through the festival, eat some pickles, and then enjoy a picnic, live music, and each other’s company! Feel free to get dressed up, but let’s all wear green for fun (and great photo ops). Taking the bus or carpooling is encouraged.
Please sign up with Kelli Booher at KelliB@coh.net.

Soul Food Class Summer Session
2021-08-22 08:45 - 09:45 (America/New_York) | ELPC – Online, 116 South Highland Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15206, United States
The Soul Food adult Church School class will meet this Sunday, August 22, 8:45 am, to conclude our discussion of In My Grandmother’s House: Black Women, Faith, and the Stories We Inherit, by Yolanda Pierce, with chapter 12.
A weekday make-up session will be scheduled for those who cannot participate.
Contact the Rev. Joe Hajdu for more details.

SSL Beginners Class
2021-08-25 08:00 - 17:00 (America/New_York) | PA
Are You Interested in Learning Spanish? Have you ever considered language learning as a spiritual practice? Are you interested in learning Spanish as a second language (SSL)?
Come to our SSL information session on Sunday, September 26, 12:30 pm, via Zoom. This will be a new beginners class, where we can answer your questions and gather ideas of what you want to study together.
Learning a language isn’t just about vocabulary and grammar. It’s about learning a people, so I invite you to come to this information session and learn more about the unique perspective of the SSL class at ELPC.
Join us on Zoom

Coal Tubin' in Johnstown
2021-08-28 09:00 - 19:00 (America/New_York) | PA
As summer winds down, let’s venture out of Pittsburgh for some relaxing fun. YAMs will enjoy floating down The Stonycreek in inner tubes. We will leave around 9 am, float, eat dinner at a local favorite, and then return to Pittsburgh around 7 pm. The cost is $15/person ($20 if you’d like an upgraded inner tube). Scholarships are available. Please bring money for dinner.
There are many more details you need to know, so please contact Kelli Booher at KelliB@coh.net if you would like to go or if you have questions! And let Kelli know if you’re interested in riding in the church van, carpooling, or meeting us there.

Connections Group @ the Botanical Gardens
2021-09-11 11:00 - 13:00 (America/New_York) | Pittsburgh Botanic Gardens, 799 Pinkerton Run Rd, Oakdale, PA, 15071, United States
Have you been a member of ELPC’s Connections Group in the past? Would you like to reunite with some old friends? We are planning an outdoor gathering at the Pittsburgh Botanic Gardens in Settlers Cabin Park on Saturday, September 11, 11 am. Bring a bagged lunch. We’ll meet in the picnic area and then enjoy a walk through the gardens.
If you have not participated in a Connections Group in the past, you are more than welcome to join us! Connections Groups are small groups that previously met up monthly for coffee, lunch, or dinner at a restaurant or at someone’s home. Since this is difficult to do at this time, we thought it might be nice to get together so we can all remain “Connected.”
The cost is $12, $2 if you have an EBT card. Please email us at connectelpc@gmail.com if you plan to attend.
